Personal exercise prescription. Cardiac rehabilitation and preventive medicine.

This paper describes a practical programme for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of patients with cardiac disorders. This programme makes possible the prescription of exercise to an accuracy of one metre per minute or two pulse beats per minute. It is inexpensive, portable, requires minimum supervision and has been in use for seven years. The basic principle is to walk or jog in a circle, completing one revolution per minute with the radius of the circle being almost imperceptibly increased as fitness improves. A timing device is incorporated to ensure an absolutely uniform pace for each participant.